Given that we received very mixed reviews for home inspection services in our surveys of local consumers, we expected some companies in our test would perform better than others. But what really miffed us was how little work many inspectors bothered to do.

Start by carefully considering what you think you want. Then weigh your wish list against what you’ll probably pay to fulfill it. Identifying goals and thinking through available options will force some decisions—and also help you set a budget cap.

Roofing work is expensive, and, if you hire the wrong contractor, you can spend thousands of dollars too much and still get terrible work. Our ratings of area roofers will help you nail down the best roofers for your job.